


The First Month

by soaringswallow



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Crew as Family, Fluff, Light Angst, Lup Is Awesome, Magnus Needs A Dog, Multi, Post-Canon, Taako Needs A Hug, boy do these people have issues to work out, everyone gets some love, sort of character study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2018-12-30 23:52:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12120015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaringswallow/pseuds/soaringswallow
Summary: Snapshots of the first month after The Day Of Story And Song.Because everything will be okay in the end, but there's still a lot of work to do.Seven crew members, seven perspectives.





	1. Taako Gets A Hug

**Author's Note:**

> so... i just caught up on taz last night and i was lying awake at three am, just,,, crying  
> and ive just been itching to write and give this broken, beautiful family some love  
> i just want to see them happy, okay?

Taako has never been the most tactile person. Out of the two of them, it was always Lup who emitted all that warmth - ironically enough - and shared it with everyone in reach.  
Not that Taako hates being touched. He just doesn’t particularly care for it either.

...

For a while, in between, he thought it was like that with everyone.  
But then he met Magnus and Merle, strangers at the time, and he found, after Phandalin, that he doesn’t mind Magnus slinging an arm across his shoulders or Merle patting his hip (since that’s about as high as he can reach without being awkward) in that friendly way as much as he should. As much as he always has. 

But Magnus is so happy when Taako lets him continue the casual touches, he’s probably figured out what a big deal it is. And Merle’s smile the first time Taako actually pats his shoulder in return makes him feel all warm inside.  
And when he finds himself actually seeking out that kind of closeness, he chalks it up to habit, to getting used to these two dorks that he’s stuck with.

...

Angus is a different story. With Angus, he feels uncomfortable. But he doesn’t know if that’s just because that kid loves hugs so damn much that it gets on Taako’s nerves, or because he really, really doesn’t want to be some sort of role-model. He doesn’t do kids anyway. Though, in the end, he doesn’t have the heart to push him away completely, and Angus develops a better sense for personal space - that’s one thing his creepy observation skills are good for. It’s nice to have some comfortable distance, but another part of him feels bad. The part that remembers being a lonely kid, out on the road, all alone with no one to hug him or hold him, no matter how cold the nights got. It hurts to remember.

...

Except… it wasn’t like that, was it? As the memories finally, finally come back to him, and Taako remembers a face so similar to his, a beaming smile and a warm body nestled into his when they were just kids… he also remembers that there was always one person that he never shied away from, one person who was always allowed to touch him, whose touch never annoyed him or made him want to move away.  
He remembers the way he’d curl up with Lup on the ground, sharing the same blanket when they were just kids.  
He remembers sharing a bed with her more often than not in the years that they actually had access to beds.  
He remembers her hand, firm on his shoulder, grounding him in a fight. Her forehead pressed against his as he fights back the feeling of hopelessness he’s grown so familiar with over the course of their century traveling.  
Lup.  
Lup was his center, his heart, his everything.

He raises the Umbra Staff.

...

When it’s over, it takes Taako a moment to believe. Angus is shouting that they won, and it feels so unreal. They’ve been fighting for so long. 

And Taako wants to join in on the celebratory group hug, but Lucretia is there, and he can’t bear being near her right now. Maybe not ever.

He lets Magnus pull him into a separate hug, and fuck if Magnus doesn’t give the world’s best hugs, all warmth and safety and _love_. And Taako is about ready to burst out crying right there.  
Merle is there, then, and Barry, and Angus, and Davenport, and everyone is exchanging hugs, but they all give Taako space to decide.

Lup though… Lup is just floating there. In her lich form, unable to touch, and Taako reaches out for her as if he could just take her hand, but it phazes through and he swallows.

”I’m sorry, Taako,” she says, and she sounds so sad, and he doesn’t want her to be sad, this is a day of happiness, and he just got his sister back and he’s already weighing her down.

”Nah, I’m good,” he replies and conjures up a smile he doesn’t know where he got the energy for. “I’m gonna go hug Barry again, for you. Just don’t ask me to smooch him. My boyfriend is literally Death, that wouldn’t end well for anyone.”

Lup laughs.

...

Taako never expected her to get a new body.  
He was fully prepared to just have an untouchable sister for the rest of his life.  
And he thought he was okay with it, too.  
He has Kravitz, he has Magnus and Merle and Angus and tons of people who are willing to give him some affection if he finds the courage to ask for it.  
So when there’s a knock on his door, at like three in the morning, and he opens it to find Lup, Lup like he remembers her, with a real face and a real, corporeal body… Taako immediately throws himself at her.  
Turns out he very much wasn’t okay with never getting to touch her again.

...

”How?” He only asks that later, when they’re on the couch together, a mess of limbs all tangled up into each other, as close as they can possibly be. Taako is resting his head on Lup’s chest, he can hear her heart beating, steady and healthy, and _there_ , and Lup’s fingers are expertly moving in his hair, braiding it with movements they’ve both been practicing on each other since they can think.

”The note I left you. Remember the lipstick mark?” she asks, and Taako smiles, because while the wounds are still open, and he still hates thinking about having almost lost her for good, things are okay for now.  
Lup is here.

”I fucking love Barry so much right now,” he murmurs, and they both laugh.

”You know I’m gonna tell him you said that.”

Taako shrugs. “Sure, I mean, if you never wanna learn the secret art of making a taco.”

Lup tugs at his hair and he turns his head to smirk up at her. “You know what, he already knows you love him anyway.”

Taako sighs dramatically. “There goes my good reputation.”

His sister smiles at him fondly, and something inside Taako finally falls back into place for good. “Alright.” He props himself up into a sitting position, carefully untangling himself in the process, but still holding Lup’s hand. “Let’s go cook up some mean tacos.”

...

**Bonus:**

Kravitz is cold, and it’s a good excuse not to be touchy with him at first, but for a grim reaper, Taako’s boyfriend is pretty damn empathetic, and he realizes what’s going on fast. 

So he reads the mood, always waiting for Taako to give a smile or a nod, or any sign that he’s okay with touching.  
He is, often, because he really does like kissing Kravitz a whole lot, and he likes being held by him, and soon enough he’ll be asking him to actually cuddle. 

It’s nice, having someone who pays this much attention - nice enough for Taako to know that him and Kravitz?  
Yeah, that’s a permanent installment.


	2. Davenport Finds A Puppy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how Magnus acquired Johann the dog

Davenport has always loved traveling. He dedicated his entire life to it, to being the captain of the Starblaster and discovering new worlds. Of course that was also his downfall.

But when he remembers, beyond the pain and the confusion and the regret, he feels the familiar pull of the unknown. And he swears to himself to follow it if they happen to actually survive this fight.

And they win.

...

So two weeks later Davenport finds himself in a small harbor town, looking for a decent ship that he can sail on his own. 

Truth to be told, he doesn’t want to travel with a crew this time. He has his family, and he’s not ready for another one.   
No, what Davenport needs is some time for himself. 

After being only a name for so long, feeling like he wasn’t even a person, now he needs to catch up on a decade’s worth of life that he didn’t have. He wants to see things, hear songs and stories, breathe new air full of exciting smells he’s never known before.

Davenport doesn’t even reach the harbor though. He’s distracted by a faint whimpering sound coming from some trash at the side of the road. And, well, he’s always been a curious person.

He crouches down next to the pile of trash and clicks his tongue, trying to draw out another noise.   
And there’s that whimper again. It’s coming from a small cardboard box, and Davenport sighs when he sees what’s inside.   
That must be the most miserable puppy he’s ever seen.   
It’s got dark fur that’s sticking to its body, and it looks way too skinny. It shies away from his touch, and Davenport knows that this one will be a project that requires a lot of patience and dedication.   
He knows just the guy.

...

It’s another week later that Davenport calls them all together to announce that he’s leaving. He doesn’t like goodbyes, and he figured he should just get it over with at once.

Also he likes seeing his whole family together. Even though Lucretia looks terribly out of place. But that’s something that will take time.

Davenport himself, he doesn’t like leaving anything unresolved.   
He believes in communication. Which is tragic, seeing as he hasn’t been able to communicate for over a decade.

But he did talk to Lucretia, only three days after everything.   
During the time he was trapped with no sense of self, she was always so kind to him. Out of guilt, a more bitter person would think.   
But Davenport knows how much she loves all of them, and he’s grateful she didn’t drop him off somewhere on his own.

She did something shitty thinking it was the only way.   
She feels awful about it now, Davenport knows that.   
It will be a while before things between him and her are like they used to be, maybe it will never be like that again - but Davenport is willing to forgive her at some point.   
He’s willing to work toward that. He just doesn’t have to be around her for that. They still have Stones of Farspeech, if they need to talk.

...

“I understand if you never want to see me again,” she said when he first walked in.

Davenport’s anger dissolved at the look on her face and he walked over to touch her arm. 

“I will. Eventually,” he said, “Maybe not now. Maybe not for a month, or a year, but I promise that you haven’t lost me. And... you haven’t lost any of the others either. We’re family. You’ll see, it’s all gonna be okay.” He still doesn’t know how he sounded so confident back then.

Lucretia closed her eyes for a long moment, and Davenport knows that’s about as close as she’ll get to crying in front of him, or anyone, for that matter.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

And that was that.

...

Not everyone is as willing to forgive as Davenport though, and his goodbye party is awkward because of that.

But it’s also kind of nice.

The twins cooked up some home made snacks - and Taako’s potato chips are out of this world. (Quite literally, Davenport remembers the plane he learned that recipe in.)

Now they’re both draped over the couch of the boy’s dorm in the moon base that they’re all about to move out of, and they’re wrapped up into each other, looking like one big eight-limbed elf monster.

Barry is sitting on the carpet in front of the couch, Lup’s hand playing lazily with his hair, and he’s talking excitedly to little Angus McDonald (who tagged along with Taako without comment) about something that makes Taako complain loudly about “nerd shit”.

Davenport himself is sitting at the table with Merle, playing cards and chatting about Mavis and Mookie, and Merle’s plan for Extreme Teen Adventures. It has a nice familiarity to it.

Lucretia’s sitting in a corner, scribbling something into a journal, and if that’s not a sight they’ve all seen a million times. She’s not participating, but she rarely did before anyway, and the simple fact that she’s here already gives Davenport reason to hope.

Magnus is... late.

Which is weird. 

They save some food for him, and Davenport can’t help but worry. They all seem a little worried. Now that they all remember the bonds they used to have, they worry a lot about each other. Lucretia keeps looking up at the door, and Davenport remembers the look on her face when she learned of Magnus’ “death”.

The worry is unfounded, luckily, because Magnus bursts through the door just as Davenport loses the fourth round against Merle, and he’s beaming. 

“Sorry, sorry, guys!” He laughs. “I just- he fell asleep on my lap and I just couldn’t get up and wake him.” 

The puppy is right behind him, and it already looks so much healthier than when Davenport brought it to Magnus. Its tail is wagging happily and it sticks closely to Magnus as he crosses the room to grab a sandwich.

“Magnus! No dogs on the moon!” Lucretia reminds him, staring at the dog as if it was a werewolf about to jump her.

Suddenly, the puppy lifts off the ground. It barks in surprise, and Davenport glances at Lup who is now levitating the poor little thing over to Lucretia.

Lucretia sneezes. Loudly. Then she ducks away and scampers to the other side of the room.

Taako cackles.

“Stop bullying Johann! He’s a helpless little puppy!” Magnus scoops the dog out of the air and hugs him to his chest.

“Johann?” Lucretia questions, wiping her nose.

Magnus nods, his smile a little more serious. “You should hear him howl at the moon. It’s like a song.”

Davenport looks over at the puppy that seems to be trying to bite Magnus’ nose with his little puppy teeth.

Yeah, things will be okay.


	3. Merle arranges a Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. Insanely sorry for taking so long to update. I always had a set order of chapters in my head for this and for some reason I had an incredibly difficult time writing Merle. This is still much, much shorter than I'd like it to be, but the good news is that I have both Lup's and Barry's chapters nearly done, as well as a decent outline for Lucretia's.
> 
> Also I've been working on a much bigger project than this (I'm at roughly 11k words right now and that's only the first five chapters or so). I was just much more inspired to continue on that than this, but I didn't wanna abandon this either, so I pushed through.  
> Keep an eye out for a superhero au that's gonna drop some time later today! I promise it'll be worth your time.

In retrospect, bringing Mookie’s boundless energy into the already very explosive mix that is their group these days wasn’t Merle’s best idea. He watches with a grimace as Lup puts on a little magic show for his son and accidentally sets the curtains on fire. 

Mookie is bouncing up and down, demanding bigger and brighter flames. And Lup is as much of a child as him, and she loves attention just as much as Taako, who is currently sulking in a corner, because apparently transmutation magic isn’t half as cool as evocation. Or, specifically, fire.

A different parent would be freaking out seeing their kid literally playing with fire, but Merle knows Lup well enough to know there isn’t any real danger. It’s not Mookie he’s worried about anyway.

Mavis just doesn’t seem to be comfortable here. She’s never very comfortable around strangers, but right now it’s only the twins and Davenport, so that should be okay, right? But she’s still just sitting on the edge of the couch, nose in her book and not looking up. It’s very her, but Merle really, really wants this to work out for all of them. The IPRE crew is his family just as much as his kids are.

Ah, he’ll just have to be patient. Or wait for Magnus to show up. Everybody always loves Magnus. Rustic hospitality or something. Well, he is just altogether a lovable guy, even though Merle wouldn’t say that to his face and risk being squeezed half to death. If Magnus ever does consider an actual career in wrestling, his signature move will be just hugging his enemies into oblivion.

Merle looks away from the map Davenport spread on the table to tell him about all the places he wants to visit, and he watches Mavis for a moment. She’s holding her book just a little too tight, a little too curled into herself. 

He sighs. “Give me a second, Capnport.” It’s insane how easily everything came back to them. Davenport can still read him like a book, and he glances over at Mavis before he nods and walks over to tell Taako about his travel plans instead.

“Hey, Mavy.” Merle sits down next to his stepdaughter and smiles as she closes her book but leaves her finger in.

“You okay?” he asks, and Mavis frowns for a moment like she’s thinking about it, then nods.

“You wanna… uh… talk to my friends a bit? That was kinda the point of this.”

Mavis looks over at Lup and Mookie laughing and bites her lip. “That’s Lup,” she says, then nods over to Taako and Davenport. “That’s Taako and Captain Davenport. I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

Oh. Oh. She’s starstruck. That’s… yeah, okay, that’s adorable.

“What about me?” Merle asks, “I’m Merle! I helped save the world, too!”

Mavis snorts. “You’re also my dad. That’s different.”

“If anything that should make me even more of a hero,” Merle grumbles, pretending to be insulted as he crosses his arms.

“A more huggable hero,” Mavis amends, nudging him with her shoulder.

He laughs and looks up as the door opens and another visitor arrives.

Lucretia looks hesitant, a silent question on her face as her eyes meet Merle’s.

Merle smiles warmly, then scoots over on the couch and pats the space between him and Mavis.

“Mavy, I’d like you to meet the first bookworm daughter I ever had.”

And Lucretia sits down with a smile, voice quiet as she asks about the book Mavis is reading.

When Mavis starts talking to her, there is no hesitation in her voice anymore. No shyness. Of course not, she's always confident when talking about the things she loves. Merle is pretty sure Lucretia is going to become her favorite new family member in no time.

When Lucretia pulls out one of her journals and hands it to Mavis to look at, Merle gets up, feeling like his work is done.

He can’t even quite bring himself to care that Taako silently left the room.


	4. Lup forgives. Until she doesn't.

Lup has never been a very forgiving person. Just ask one Greg Grimaldis. 

Once Taako stole her favorite lipstick and used it all up and she pretended not to have a brother for two days. Until he made their aunt’s world class chili as an apology, because Lup can’t actually stay mad at Taako.

But that was the old Lup. Ten years in an umbrella, ten years of just thinking, meditating, learning patience… it changed her.

It was oh, so easy to forgive Lucretia for everything. She didn’t even think about it. 

Of course she hurt all of them in some way, and both Barry and Taako are among the three people who suffered the most because of her decision.  
But they did save the world in the end, and they are still family, no matter what.

Then there’s also this tiny little voice in Lup’s head that tells her that she… she would have done the same. 

If she’d been convinced her way was the only one, the only way to protect everyone she loved… it would have broken her heart but she would have done it.

Barry understands, like he always does.  
Taako… well, he’s still so angry, so she hasn’t told him she feels that way yet.

Lup is a better person now, in a way.  
Or maybe just wiser.

But deep down she’s still the same.

So when Taako tells her about Sazed, she very nearly sets the kitchen on fire. 

Taako had a panic attack when she went to try his chicken, and once he calmed down he told her, eyes distant, the tragedy of Glamour Springs.

Now, Taako doesn’t look like he’s trying to willfully dissociate anymore. 

He’s been shocked back into reality by Lup standing there with the most murderous expression on her face. She’s trembling, her hands engulfed in flames.

“Where is he now?” she asks.  
This guy hurt her brother.  
He hurt Taako because she wasn’t there to protect him.

“Lulu, no.” Taako holds up his hands, stepping closer to her. “He’s in jail. It’s okay.”

Lup scoffs. “No, it’s not! You were all alone, he could have killed you! He wanted to kill you!”

Taako’s eyes hold that soft expression that used to be reserved for only her, but eventually got extended to the rest of the Starblaster crew. 

“Lots of people tried to kill me. Some actually did. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Bullshit!” She’s so glad she’s not in her lich form anymore, or she would be losing it even more right now. Liches are all emotion.

Lup takes a deep breath, trying to center herself like Barry taught her.  
She points at the chicken still sitting on the counter. 

“You’re scared of letting people eat your food.” 

Taako always loved serving their food to whoever wanted a bite, basking in their praise and sated smiles. Lup herself was always more into the process itself. 

“Not always. I’m already gettin’ over it.”

“Koko…” The flames go out. She moves to cup his face in her hands, leaning her forehead against his. “Koko, you could have died. You could have been gone forever. Just because some asshole got jealous of your talent. I should have-”

There’s a finger on her lips now and Taako looks at her with a stern expression.  
“No. No blaming yourself. I was stupid enough not to see it coming. Lucretia was the one who put me in that position in the first place. You’re the least guilty party here.”

He’s calm, even as he says Lucretia’s name, and Lup books that down as a small success. 

She sighs. “I could have lost you.”

Taako’s arms come up around her now, and she leans into him.  
Her eyes sting with unshed tears. 

“You didn’t. You won’t,” Taako promises, “Death is in love with me, and I’m not allowed to tell any details, but it looks like with what the Raven Queen got planned for you and Barold, you'll both have a way easier time helping me out if I get in trouble again.”

Lup doesn’t ask what he means, because he’s not gonna tell her.  
Instead she finally returns the hug properly, squeezing him tight.

“Love you, Koko,” she whispers.

Taako swallows. “Love you, too, sis.”  
His voice is shaking only a little.

_________________

 

In the following weeks, a half-elf named Sazed will receive unwanted visits from not one, not two, but three grim reapers. 

He gets away with a few light burns, a broken nose and the promise that if he ever dare even think about Taako again, he’ll earn himself a ticket to the eternal stockade.

But Taako doesn’t need to know about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to what you might think, it was Barry who broke his nose.
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed this? Three more chapters to go now!


	5. Magnus gets his Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying this little fic! 
> 
> We're getting close to the end here, but if you want more of my writing, check out Light of the Seven! I'm having a lot of fun writing that one!
> 
> Also there'll be a couple drabbles on my tumblr (taakolicious) soon, if you wanna read those!  
> (How do you add links on here?)

“Mags, you ever think about having children?” Julia is lying on her side, watching him. 

Nightmares keep them both awake at night. Hers of her mother’s death at the hands of Governor Kalen’s men, his of a silver ship and a tank and the face of a crying woman whispering apologies through the static in his head. 

Both of them have nightmares about the rebellion, too. They’re just as much of a shared memento as their scars and the tombstones of those they lost. 

Avery, the baker’s girl, who was good with her bow, but not good enough. 

Lawrence, the dragonborn with an eye for strategy, but   
no talent for actual fighting. 

Elias, the old smith who had already retired but picked up his hammer again to fight the good fight. 

They’re all frequent guests in Magnus’ and Julia’s nightmares alike.

But Kalen… Kalen is gone now. Has been for almost a year. 

The city is recovering. 

And, well… birth rates are up. Magnus feels like someone new has a baby every day. 

Which is great because Magnus found out that he loves babies a lot. They love him, too.   
The pitch of his voice seems to calm them down. 

Julia thinks it’s adorable. 

“I do,” Magnus whispers. 

Of course he thinks about kids. It’s hard not to, when they’re everywhere now. 

“I just… I’m not sure if I’d be a good parent.”

Julia strokes his cheek with a fond smile. “You’d be the best goddamn dad there ever was.”

__

“Hey, Ango? Where are you gonna live when you’re not in school?”

Angus is sitting in the grass, petting Johann. 

Both the boy and the dog are exhausted from playing with Mookie - who was eventually dragged away by Merle to get some ice cream for all of them.

“I… haven’t thought about that yet,” Angus admits. 

He’s only told them about Lucas’ plan to open a school this morning, and how excited he is to already be accepted when nothing is even official yet. 

“I just kind of figured I’d stay and study during summer…” He trails off, and Magnus ruffles his hair.

“That doesn’t sound like fun, like, at all. How about, when I build my house, I’ll add a room for you, too? Then you can stay with me, and obviously everyone’s gonna come over for Candlenights and birthday parties… fair warning though, I’m planning on getting a lot more dogs.”

Angus is staring at him, and Magnus fights down a wave of nervousness.   
Maybe he was reading him wrong. 

The idea of Angus living alone was just so sad that he couldn’t not offer. 

And he loves the kid, he really does.   
Angus deserves a home to come back to, just like a normal little boy.

“Are you… is this another joke?” Angus asks, voice small, “I know you like to tease me, Sir, but that would be real mean of you…”

There’s tears in his eyes and Magnus immediately, instinctively, pulls him into a hug. 

“No joking. I could use some company anyway. Everyone has those great plans, so I figured it’ll get a little lonely without someone living with me. And…” 

He hesitates.   
He doesn’t know how much Angus knows about his past. Probably more than he should.

“Julia and I used to talk about having kids. She’s… she’d have loved you, Angus.” She would have. 

She’d have booped his nose and made little trinkets for him in the workshop, and sung him to sleep.

Magnus swallows.   
He misses her so damn much. 

He used to travel in hopes of finding something worth dying for, so he could make her proud before joining her. Now…

Angus looks up at him with tear streaked cheeks. He's beaming. “I think I’d like that very much, Sir.”

Yeah, now he's found something worth living for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Six months after, Angus slips up and accidentally calls Magnus dad and Magnus cries for eight hours.
> 
> Taako is not jealous, shut up, Merle.


	6. Lucretia finds some Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end now!

Lucretia can’t find any peace of mind.

She should be able to. They’ve defeated the Hunger, their odysee of a hundred years is finally over. And she got her family back.

She didn’t even expect them to be as forgiving as they are. Even Davenport told her they’d be alright eventually, if not now.

So why is she still feeling like shit?

The answer is pretty obvious. 

Whenever she looks at Magnus and sees the new scars, the sorrow lines on his face, whenever Davenport stutters for a moment before finding his voice again, whenever Lup clings to whoever is close to her a little too tight…   
She remembers that she’s the one who did that to them.

The guilt is still so fresh. Them forgiving her doesn’t help. They’re still not the people they used to be.

She destroyed that.

Lucretia sighs deeply. Maybe some reading will do her good. Just a few hours of calm. She hasn’t allowed herself that much in a long time.

The spa visit with Merle was the last time she relaxed properly. Maybe the library will do the same.

But upon entering, Lucretia doesn’t get the usual feeling of safety she gets around books. Instead, she freezes.

Taako is curled up on a couch underneath the window, nose deep in a book about traditional orc kitchen. Maybe he’s already planning for Carey and Killian’s wedding next year.   
It would be just like him to already be looking for recipes, just so the meal can be perfect.

“Stop standing around like that, you’re makin’ me nervous,” he murmurs, not looking up.

Taako hasn’t talked to her at all in two weeks. He’s been avoiding her like the plague. 

Well, it was better than Barry just pretending to there's nothing wrong between them anyway.

She wants to ask if he’s sure, but he looks up and raises a brow at her expectantly.

Lucretia grabs the nearest book at random and hesitates for a second before walking over to the armchair next to Taako’s couch.

They used to do this a lot. Just read together. Whenever Taako got tired of talking and interacting with everyone, he would just lean back and read with her.

Lucretia is still nervous as she opens her book, but after a few pages she gets more comfortable. It almost feels like before.

In a weird way, it’s more comforting than Magnus hugging her all the time, or Merle’s easy forgiveness. This is a very Taako way to communicate that he still loves her, despite everything.

Lucretia doesn’t expect any hugs any time soon, doesn’t expect him to talk to her much at all, doesn’t expect a birthday present or favorite foods cooked on bad days. But this feels nice.

Eventually, Taako closes his book and gets up. “Be right back, sis.”

She wants to cry.

But instead she tries to focus on her book even harder. The story is actually good, so it sucks her right in to the point where she physically jumps at the sound of a cup being placed on the table in front of her.

“Tea,” Taako says as he curls back up in his spot.

Lucretia stares at the cup for a few seconds, and Taako clicks his tongue. 

“Stop it with the kicked puppy look, Creesh. Makes me wanna hug you and I’m not up for that just yet.”

Lucretia nods sharply and reaches for the tea.

“This is nice,” Taako remarks, “We should make this a regular thing. Monthly reading meet ups, you know?”

“Seriously?” Lucretia asks. He’s just full of surprises today. There’s been no yelling. No sharp remarks. Nothing hurtful.

Taako rolls his eyes. “Yeah. Seriously. Just reading though. No emotions, no hugs, not even talking.”

Lucretia considers that. It sounds like it might blow at any time. But maybe Taako needs this to learn to be around her again. Slow, gradual progress. It’s a very adult decision.

“Let’s do that,” she agrees as she picks her book back up. “And tell Angus thanks for the idea.”

Taako huffs, but he doesn’t open his book back up. Instead, he leans his head back and closes his eyes.

“Read to me?”

Lucretia smiles fondly. She clears her throat and starts reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much content about Taako being angry at Lucretia and I love me some good angst as much as the next person, but... I also like happiness every once in a while.


	7. Barry is a lucky Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a very happy Candlenights!
> 
> With this chapter, this fic comes to an end. Thank you all for the nice comments and I'm very glad I could entertain you for a little while.
> 
> If you want more of my writing, check out my major project, [ Light of the Seven](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12986706/chapters/29691813)!
> 
> And if you'd like some more little character studies, fluffy and angsty snippets, dumb headcanons and fic ideas, here's my[ tumblr](https://taakolicious.tumblr.com/)

Barry isn’t sure when he fell asleep. He didn’t mean to, but the feeling of his glasses sitting crooked on his face and a book being gently pulled from his grasp is a familiar feeling to wake up to. 

“Still reading that…” he murmurs, and he hears Taako laugh. It sounds fond and happy and warm, and so not like the Taako he watched for the past decade.

Barry pries one eye open to see Lup sitting on the bed next to him, book in hand and Taako behind her.   
He makes grabby hands at the book and Lup gives it back to him with a snort. 

“Make some room, babe,” she says, and Barry happily obliges. He pushes himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. 

Lup kicks off her boots and curls up next to him, yawning. “I missed sleeping. Meditation just doesn’t feel like the real deal.”

Taako nods in agreement as he carefully wraps himself around Lup, his position enabling him to lie his head in Barry’s lap. 

Barry’s heart swells. It’s rare for Taako to initiate cuddling, often he’d sit by them and just hold Lup’s hand instead of being in the middle of it. But sometimes he has his days. 

Barry missed him, his brother. Seeing him and not being able to comfort and be comforted by him was incredibly hard.   
So was seeing Magnus and not being able to laugh with him, seeing Merle and not being able to groan and pretend to be annoyed by his bad dad jokes.

His thoughts seem to be showing on his face, because Lup props herself up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Hey. We’re all here now. We’re together. We’re never leaving each other again.”

Barry puts his book away for good, then, so he can cup her cheeks and kiss her properly. It’s still so hard to believe she’s actually here, alive and well. That it’s over.

“Ugh, no smooching during cuddle time,” Taako complains. 

Lup crawls over to Barry’s other side and leans against his shoulder. “You could always invite Kravitz,” she suggests, and Taako sticks out his tongue.

“I will, as soon as his mom allows him to hang out with liches.”

Barry uses the hand that is not busy rubbing circles on Lup’s back to pull off the hairband holding Taako’s braid together and he starts undoing it carefully. 

Taako rolls his eyes, but he does snuggle closer, reaching out to hold onto Lup as he closes his eyes. He looks just as content as Barry feels.

“I missed you, Taako,” he says softly, and he expects a snort or a laugh, but Taako just hums.

That’s as good an answer as any. Lup begins to sing quietly in Elvish, and Barry can feel Taako relax under his hand as his hair comes undone, cascading in golden waves across his lap. It smells like honey. Lup’s hair always smelled like vanilla and just a slight hint of smoke. Barry turns his head to smell it - yeah, still the same.

“Dude, did you just smell me?” Lup asks quietly since Taako already seems to be half asleep. Barry shrugs.

“Gotta make sure with all my senses that you’re really here.”

She boxes his arm lightly. “Dork.” But she says it softly and Barry knows she feels the same sometimes. The past decade has left them all with fresh scars, and Lup’s might arguably be the worst.

Barry kisses her, and Lup holds onto him a little tighter than normal.

They both pull away when they hear the door creaking as it opens. Magnus pokes his head in and grins when he sees the three of them all curled up into each other.

Barry presses a finger to his lips, gesturing to Taako, and Lup waves Magnus over. Barry is very glad Lucretia made sure to give him and Lup a big double bed in the room they’re staying in for now. Otherwise there would be no way Magnus could fit in with them.

It is already getting a little crowded now. 

Magnus lies on his side next to Lup, puppy following on his heels as always. Johann struggles to jump up on the bed as well, until his owner leans down and scoops him up. He sniffs around a bit before curling up between Magnus and Lup and yawning.

Barry reaches down to scratch his ears and smiles.

This is so familiar, and even after ten years they can still arrange themselves around each other like this, revelling in the warmth and love of their family.

Barry stops petting the dog to interlace his fingers with Magnus’s. There’s some new scars there that Barry doesn’t know the story of yet.

But… they have time, don’t they? All the time in the world.

He rests his head on top of Lup’s, closing his eyes. “I love you guys,” he murmurs, and he drifts away while Magnus and Lup still whisper their replies.

He wakes to the sound of very familiar, loud snoring, and he opens his eyes to see Merle stretched out half across Magnus’s legs, smiling in his sleep.

“Ugh…” Taako mutters, burying his face in Barry’s side. “Dad snores.”

It’s as if they never got separated. Barry is still holding onto Magnus’s hand, and Lup is warm against his body, and Davenport is for sure thinking of them from somewhere on the ocean. 

And when Lucretia peeks in about twenty minutes later, Barry gives her a smile and a nod.

She doesn’t join them, but she sits crosslegged on the floor like a much younger version of herself and opens a book.

Barry has been alone for so long. Fighting, struggling, forgetting.

But in this moment, this little slice of time, surrounded by people he loves more than anything, Barry Bluejeans feels like the luckiest man in the entire planar system.

And he knows the others feel very much the same way.


End file.
